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Tuesday, January 18, 2000

PEDC touts college, dairy recruiting success

By JON FULBRIGHTStaff WriterPECOS, Jan. 18, 2000 - College and cows were two success stories the
Pecos Economic Development Corporation's board of directors were updated
on Monday evening, during their meeting on the second floor of the Security
State Bank building.

The board heard about progress on Odessa College's new Pecos campus
and the increased local enrollment figures, and were also told construction
of a new dairy to handle 2,000 cattle should be completed in six months.

Kyle Hoodenpyle said the dairy would be located between Pecos and Toyah,
past the Texas A&M Experiment Station on Interstate 20 and would handle
2,000 Jersey cows. "Most of the cows around here are Holsteins, but Jerseys
handle the hot weather better and have a high butter fat and (milk) protein
content," he said.

Hoodenpyle brought numbers showing the expenses the dairy will require,
much of which can be spent in the local community. He also discussed the
efforts needed to attract other dairies into the Trans-Pecos area.

"We'll have 20 employees," said Hoodenpyle, and the dairy will be a
24-hour operation. "I've had a lot of people come out there looking for
jobs."

He said in terms of feed, the dairy would require 317 trucks of silage,
317 of alfalfa hay and corn, 40 trucks of cottonseed, and 40 more of other
types of feed for the cows annually. Much of the grain can be bought locally,
and at a cost of $3.20 per day to feed one cow, the costs per year for
2,000 head would come in at over $3.3 million.

"The dairy business overturns 2 ½ times spending in the county,"
Hoodenpyle said. "The net worth of the dairy is $4 million. Where else
is Pecos going to get a business this size to spend this much money?

"A lot of farmers out there are looking to grow silage for us," he said,
adding it's also an easier crop for area farmers to harvest.

While the area's heat will require special misting and cooling systems
to be installed, along with some other new milking technology, Jim Hoodenpyle
told the board the dry conditions around Pecos boost the chances of relocating
dairies here from other parts of the country.

"Environmental concerns are driving dairies out of areas like California,
Colorado and East Texas," he said. Waste management and disposal are a
major concern, and have hurt dairies in the Sulphur Springs area, Hoodenpyle
said.

Kyle Hoodenpyle said the dairy would produce one tanker of mile daily,
which would be sent to Co-ops either in Lovington or Roswell, N.M., where
a number of dairies already have relocated. He also gave PEDC board members
several articles on dairy relocation, and said Pecos should draw up a plan
to attract dairy owners.

"You need to take care of all these (relocation) problems for them.
Offer them a package instead of just throwing money at them," he said.
Hoodenpyle added that the Texas Department of Agriculture has a financing
program to help such businesses get established and stimulate the state's
agricultural economy.

Before the report on the dairy, the board heard from Ned Pilcher of
Odessa College, who told them registration for the Spring 2000 semester
is at 234 for classes outside of the school's criminal justice course.
That's up from 63 at the same point last year.

"We still have two weeks of late registration to go," Pilcher said,
noting that registration for OC's Pyote campus has declined. "Many people
taking courses over there are coming back to Pecos."

The college began renovation last week of the old White's building in
the Airlawn Shopping Center for use as the school's Pecos campus. "The
facility should be ready by May," Pilcher said. "The rule of thumb is when
a community college has a facility in town you can expect about four percent
of the population to be enrolled. Pecos, with 12,000 people, you can expect
about 480 to register."

"When we started this last year, I expected the college to be two or
three years down the road. I'm really surprised at how fast we've gotten
this done," said board member Mike Burkholder, who credited PEDC director
Gari Ward for speeding up the project."

Bob Curry of BCTI also credited Ward with his company's success in getting
an enterprise zone designation for its expansion plans. "I have to commend
Gari for BCTI getting this enterprise zone approved. Other people and small
businesses need to take advantage of this and need to see Gari," Curry
said. "They key is he knows people in Austin and can hand-carry the (enterprise
zone) applications there."

"We're not going to be a large employer like we were a couple of years
ago," Curry said, but the company, which was sold back in May to International
Reclamation of Vancouver, B.C., and is now called BCTI-RC. "We've got 10
working right now, and we hope to increase that to around 25 workers,"
along with going to 24/7 operation.

He said the enterprise zone allows BCTI-RC to get back 80 percent of
the 6¼-cent state sales tax the company sends to Austin. The designation
does not affect the two-cent share that goes to Pecos and the Reeves County
Hospital District.

Board members said they would go through what the PEDC has done over
the past year and discuss its near-future plans with the Pecos City Council
during their Jan. 27 meeting. That came during a discussion of the corporation's
budget and by-laws at the end of the meeting.

The board approved the $124,000 budget for 2000, and voted to recommend
to the council keeping the board's present membership for another year.
Officers for the board also will be the same as in 1999.

Board member Frank Spencer also asked Ward if he could look at finding
businesses that could take advantage of some of the local labor force from
the Freeport McMoRan sulphur mine, which closed down last year. "They've
got some welders and others who are pretty computer literate," he said.
"We can go find out through TEDC (Texas Economic Development Corporation)
what the market demand is."

RCH hoping drive can ease blood shortage

By ROSIE FLORESStaff WriterBlood is becoming one of life's most precious commodities with the
demand for it increasing during this year's busy flu season.

"We're hoping for a big drive," said Reeves County Hospital Director
of Program Development, Community Services Nancy Ontiveros about the blood
drive, which began today and will continue throughout the afternoon and
early evening.

"There's not only a national shortage of blood, but also a shortage
in the area," said Ontiveros. "With the increase of patients in all the
hospitals, the need for blood has increased."

Reeves County Hospital, the Auxiliary and the United Blood Services
of Odessa are coordinating the effort in an attempt to keep supplies above
critical levels.

"We're hoping to get at least 40 units," said Ontiveros. "We'd be thrilled
if we got a 100 units, but we're hoping to get at least that."

"We've also extended the hours, we'll be here until 7 p.m.," said Ontiveros.
"This was because of replies from the community, so we're accommodating
the community also."

A successful blood drive will at least help to keep the local supply
at a steady level, according to Ontiveros.

Hospitals have been full over the past few weeks and the need for blood
supplies has risen dramatically.

Donating blood today will help replenish the supply that the hospital
is using daily. "We've far exceeded our usage," said Ontiveros.

T-shirts and free snacks will be given out to all who want to donate,
according to Lead Donor Specialist Ray Chavana, with United Blood Services.

An aphrasis machine will be used today during the donations. "This machine
separates the blood into platelets and plasmas, Havana explained. "It not
only helps by separating the blood, but it also gives the recipient a better
product."

Everyone is encouraged to donate blood today and help family members,
friends and community individuals health-wise.

Conservation Reserve sign-ups get underway

PECOS, Jan. 18, 2000 - The Reeves/Loving County FSA Office announced that
the next general sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) would
be held over a four-week period beginning today and running through Feb.11,
2000.

This will be another opportunity for landowners to sign up for a voluntary
program to get financial and technical assistance for improving their land,
water and wildlife resources. Farmers who either haven't tried to get into
the program, whose CRP contract offers were not accepted during Sign-up
18 last year, or who have contracts expiring, this is the time to make
new contract offers.

Under this voluntary program, landowners enter into contracts with USDA's
Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to place erodible and other environmentally
sensitive cropland in conservation practices for 10 to 15 years. In exchange,
landowners receive annual rental payments for the land and cost share assistance
for establishing those practices.

Annual rental payments are made based on the agricultural rental value
of the land and cost-share assistance is provided in an amount equal to
not more than 50 percent of the participants costs in establishing approved
practices.

Under Sign-up 20, all eligible offers will continue to be evaluated
and ranked using an Environmental Benefits Index (EBI) based on the environmental
benefits expected to accrue if the land is enrolled in the CRP. Use of
the EBI ensures that only the most environmentally sensitive lands are
selected and that all offers are considered fairly and equitably.

Interested producers and landowners should contact the Reeves/Loving
Farm Service Agency office at 1417 W Third St., or call 915 445-2616 for
additional information.

Gomez seeking third term as sheriff

PECOS Jan. 18, 2000 - Arnulfo "Andy" Gomez has filed to run for a third
term as Reeves County sheriff in the upcoming Democratic primary.

Gomez, who was first elected in 1992, will face challenger Tony Aguilar
in the March 14 primary election.

He was born and raised in Reeves County, the son of Raymundo J. Gomez
and the late Nieves Bustamantes Gomez.

Gomez attended school in Pecos and then joined the armed forces. He
received his Associate Degree of Applied Science in Criminal Justice from
Odessa College.

"I have lived in this area and understand the needs of the people who
live in Reeves County," said Gomez. "This understanding has helped me in
making decisions on how I run my department and how best to provide the
service that the people of Reeves County expect from their sheriff."

He has worked for the community since 1977, when he started in law enforcement
working for the Reeves County Sheriff's Department. "I worked in the jail
and on the streets as a deputy, and this has helped me in running the overall
operation of the department as sheriff," said Gomez.

"I will continue to fight the war on drugs in this community and I am
also committed to the young people of this county. They are our future
and we as adults need to help guide them to make the most out of their
lives," he said.

To reach his goals in the fight against illegal drugs in the community,
Sheriff Gomez helped form the Reeves County/City of Pecos Drug Task Force.

"We can effectively fight the war on drugs when both the county and
the city, state and federal agencies in order to provide the best protection
and service to the community," he said. "That is why I helped form and
also serve as Project Director to the newly formed Trans Pecos Drug Task
Force. The Trans Pecos Drug Task Force works within the communities in
this region in partnership with the other agencies to help in fighting
illegal drugs."

Gomez has also had his department join the S.T.A.R. program, in order
to provide assistance and manpower to other communities in the event of
a disaster or riot.

"The S.T.A.R. program is a commitment that the sheriffs and chiefs of
police who have joined the program have made to provide each other special
equipment, training, and manpower that normally would not be available
to our departments in times of disaster, jail riots or escapes, bombings
or hostage situations," he said.

He has also worked to combat juvenile crime in Reeves County by providing
a Deputy Sheriff, who serves as a juvenile officer to work with the school
district to combat gang problems and truancy problems.

"Young people need to stay in school and get their education. They can't
be productive citizens of this community, if the only education they get
is on the `streets' instead of in school," said Gomez. "If re-elected,
I will continue to work with the parents, the concerned citizens and the
school district to help the youth in our community."

Sheriff Gomez said he has improved the department by hiring men and
women who are dedicated to providing service to the citizens of Reeves
County.

"I went to a `fleet' system, which brings fully equipped and marked
cars for the deputies to drive. This helps in preventing crime due to the
increased visibility of the deputies in the community."

Gomez has computerized the sheriff's department in order to increase
efficiency and accuracy in record keeping, has worked to meet jail standards,
and has worked with the Reeves County Commissioners Court to keep his department
within budget in order to keep taxes low.

"We have to work smarter with less money, but I will always strive to
provide the best law enforcement service to this community. I will continue
to look for ways to improve the Reeves County Sheriff's Department," he
said. "With your vote and continued support, I will continue to work to
keep the citizens of Reeves County safe, to protect their property, and
to help make this a good community to live and raise our children."

Democrats set candidate forum Friday

The Reeves County Democratic Party will host a "Meet the Candidates," Chili
Supper, at 7 p.m., this Friday at the Reeves County Civic Center.

Guest speaker will be the honorable Linda Lowrey, a member of the State
Democratic Executive Committee.

Admission fee of $2 will be charged to help pay for the cost of the
meal.